The conference will focus on the increasing use of sophisticated tools to hack into the computers of targets, including remotely enabling webcams, turning on microphones, and downloading documents and other files from hacked computers. Conference participants will also discuss the less sophisticated techniques such as off-the-shelf hacking and surveillance tools, which could be purchased by local and state law enforcement agencies.

Sponsored by Thomson Reuters, the Yale Information Society Project conference will consist of two expert panels. The first panel, moderated by Kevin Poulsen from Wired, will discuss the various hacking technologies used by law enforcement.

The second panel will explore the serious legal, policy, and technology implications of hacking by law enforcement. Jennifer Valentino-Devries of The Wall Street Journal will moderate the panel. Both panels will feature judges, academics, journalists, and other professionals with expert knowledge on the topics at hand.

The Law Enforcement and Hacking Conference is open to the public. For more information and to see a full list of panelists, click here.

The conference is the result of The Thomson Reuters Initiative on Law and Technology at the Yale Information Society Project (ISP), which fosters research and intellectual community in the burgeoning area of information law. It supports the work of two fellows studying cutting-edge issues in law and technology.

The initiative also hosts major conferences at the forefront of these issues, in addition to workshops, ISP "ideas" lunches, and the Thomson Reuters ISP Speaker Series on Information Law and Information Policy. Learn more about the initiative.